Aug 5, 2011 9:40 PM

I saw a largeish female cricket on a walk today. The nearest likely ID I found (here http://www.orthoptera.org.uk/account.aspx?ID=10) is the great green bush cricket, Tettigonia viridissima. The habitat fits, (coastal scrub), but it seemed a bit small, about 30 - 35mm maybe, while T. viridissima is supposed to be 40-45mm.

As far as I could tell it was green all over with a stocky fat-looking body, and very long jumping legs.

The only pic I managed to get is terrible. My camera was playing up and the creature hopped away the moment I got near. It is a back view and you can see the ovopositer and the long legs way above the body.

The image is good enough, since it shows all you need for an ID. Green, fat, wingless, with a broad ovipositor curved upwards, very long legs. This is a female Speckled Bush Cricket Leptophyes punctatissima. See this page: http://www.orthoptera.org.uk/account.aspx?ID=21